 | |
 |
|
  |
|
 |
  |
|
 
  |
|
Cards' 2V8+ Crew Defeats Michigan, V8+ Crew Narrowly Beaten by No. 9 Wolverines
April 19, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The University of Louisville rowing team's second varsity 8+ crew earned a win over Michigan, while the Cards' first varsity 8+ crew was narrowly beaten by the Wolverines' top 10 ranked boat on Saturday morning in Minnesota. The Cards' traveled three varsity crews to Minneapolis for morning races against the Wolverines and afternoon races against Michigan State, and all races were contested on a 2,000-meter course on the Mississippi River. The races were originally scheduled for Lake Phalen, but were moved to the river late last week due to icy lake conditions. In the second varsity 8+, Louisville's crew covered the course in a time of 5 minutes, 55.9 seconds to edge the Wolverines by one second. The Cards opened an early lead off the start and led throughout before holding off one final surge from Michigan. "We came off the line great and had a great rhythm throughout," said Cards' head coach Laura Fogt. "I was very pleased with the way we held the lead through the middle of the race and then had enough to hold off a strong final move by a great crew." In the varsity 8+ race, the Cards jumped out to an early lead and were stroke-for-stroke with the No. 9 ranked Wolverines before succumbing over the final 250 meters. U of L finished with a time of 5:50.0, just 1.3 seconds behind Michigan's 5:48.7. "We had another great start in the varsity 8+ race and we led for much of the event," Fogt said. "Michigan has a top 10 crew and they did a nice job of pulling ahead of us late. But I'm very proud of the effort of our team today. This week was our first full week of practice on the water after facing challenging weather conditions and our team really responded to that. I think we're moving in a great direction right now." In their final race of the day against Michigan, the Cards' varsity 4+ crew finished with a time of 6:41.18 to finish less than four second behind the Wolverines (6:37.48).
During the afternoon session, the Cards' finished the varsity 8+ race with a time of 5:49.12, while the No. 6 ranked Spartans finished with a time of 5:42.32 after jumping to an early lead and then holding that margin throughout. "We knew they'd get off the line quick and fast and that's exactly what they did," Fogt said. "I thought we rowed well, but we have to find more between now and the regional championships in a few week. We did a nice job, but I'd like to see us closer to them and I think we can do that." In the second varsity 8+ race, the Cards were narrowly beaten by Michigan State as the Spartans finished with a time of 5:53.8 compared to the Cards' 5:55.5. "That was another great race for us," said Fogt. "We had a couple of wobbles at around the 1000-meter mark, but the most impressive part of the race for us was the finish. We had a great sprint and even though we may have started it a bit too late, we did a great job of closing the gap." And in the varsity 4+ event against the Spartans, the Cards finished with a time of 6:49.0, while MSU had a time of 6:28.1. Also on Saturday, the Cards competed in preliminary action at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the finals will be contested on Sunday. A full recap of the Cards' races at the SIRA Championships will be available following Sunday's races. Following Sunday's final day of competition at the SIRA Championships, the Cards will compete in the BIG EAST Championships next Sunday, April 27 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. vs. Michigan, Michigan State - Minneapolis, Minn. Saturday Results |
|
Louisville Women's Rowing
|
|
||||||